I work at a grocery store. Actually, it’s a big box store but we make most of our money on groceries (no, it’s not Wal-Mart)
We normally run 24/7.
We now have reduced hours.
The following is not an official communication from my employer, just what I see from my perspective.
Normally, overnight, while we continue to serve customers there aren’t many so most of what the night crew does is re-stock and clean. That is in normal times. But for two weeks the night hours, even the 2 am and 3 am time slots, are seeing as many customers as a typical daytime afternoon. That means the people there to stock/clean were instead at cash registers checking out customers leaving them no time to stock or clean.
Also, we’re starting to see our own people get sick, leaving us less staff. Normally, we get 2-5 call offs a day for the whole store. The most recent list I saw had at least 15 names on it. Draw your own conclusions.
By closing to customers overnight the night shift can get their stocking and cleaning done, and we can use our remaining healthy staff to serve customers adequately during our reduced hours of operation.
First, you state you didn’t check “in the back” for employee parking. At my store they actually did change where we are supposed to park recently so if you were looking for us in the usual place you wouldn’t see us.
Second, if everyone employed at a particular time is in the back/loading dock unloading a truck that just came in you wouldn’t see anyone looking in the front doors. Those stores are huge places and it’s easy to miss seeing the people inside if they’re somewhere not in line-of-sight of windows or with shelves/product between them and doors/windows.
Last week I went to a local bank to drop off a deposit from work and I was surprised that they weren’t shut down other than the drive through. I asked the teller about this and she said they were all pissed off about it.
I sent an angry email to the bank, asking why they weren’t doing more to protect the tellers. Likely coincidental, but the next day I got an email explaining that they are now only manning the drive though, exception by appointment only.
My daughter works in the bakery of her local (rural / small college town) supermarket. They went from open 6am - 10pm to 8am - 8pm. They have hired workers and shifted regular workers to overnights for deep cleaning and stocking. In the bakery, the morning hours are still the same as if they opened at 6am due to the increase of production. Instead of closing the bakery at 8pm, they’re now closing at 7pm, so only one hour loss in their department. The hot deli section is closed. Those employees have been moved to other areas for the duration. She stated by 8pm the semis are already rolling in, the independent distributors are bringing in stock, it’s a machine. They have a delivery program that is so busy, if you were to order today, the first delivery is Thursday.
This past Saturday morning, I decided to take advantage of the senior / vulnerable shopping hour provided by my local higher end grocery store (I’m immuno-compromised). What a major clusterfuck. They opened at 7am. I got there at 715am and the place was absolutely packed. Unfortunately, there were a fair amount of independent distributors attempting to re-stock, more than a few people still being massively greedy, and the overall stupidity of people made me leave without purchasing anything. Went back in the afternoon and it was 100% more pleasant.
Interesting. Our grocery store is doing the exact opposite: they are really encouraging people to bring their own bags because their demand has been si high for everything, they were concerned about the possibility of running out.
The grocery clerk doesn’t touch your clothes while filing the bags (at least, not in grocery stores I frequent!). If you’re infected, it could be on the bags, which they touch while they fill them.
But as I walk down the street carrying the bags, the bags rub against my pants and the handles rub against my shirt. Are you saying a virus couldn’t transfer from the bags to my pants or shirt this way?
Normally a 24-hour store can count on there being not much traffic in the wee hours. When people are regularly buying up all the stock, though, you’re going to get traffic spikes whenever the trucks arrive, which is going to be problematic. Better to just close down to restock and have more predictable traffic patterns.
I’ve been avoiding stores for over a week now, between fearing the frenzied crowds and having developed ominous symptoms on Friday myself (I do not qualify for testing at this point. I’m only 50, no prior health issues, no known contact with a tested positive). One problem I’m hearing from people I know who do work in retail is outright abuse from customers, especially cashiers/managers who have to enforce quantity limits so the hoarders have to leave some for others.